Correct Your Dental Mistakes

Making your oral hygiene routine a priority is key to enjoying a healthy smile. Whether you have all your natural teeth or dental implants, we encourage our Santa Rosa patients to learn how to properly care for their oral health.

Is your dental care up to par? Dr. Harry Albers explains why proper dental care is important and how to correct common dental hygiene mistakes that can hinder the health of your smile.

Why Is Oral Hygiene Important?

So, why is an oral hygiene routine is so crucial in the first place? Keeping up a regular oral hygiene is important because it helps remove harmful bacteria and plaque that can accumulate on your teeth. Other reasons to make oral hygiene a priority include:

Removing plaque to avoid tooth decay

Avoid gum disease

Avoid hefty dental bills

Feel confident with a healthy smile

Avoid health complications

Top 5 Common Dental Mistakes

Rushing Through Your Routine: It’s recommended that you spend two minutes brushing your teeth twice a day.Quickly running a toothbrush over your teeth is not sufficient enough to remove harmful bacteria. With 32 teeth in your mouth, it’s important to use gentle, circular motions to remove plaque on all sides of each tooth. If you have a difficult time spending enough time with your oral hygiene routine, try setting a timer to make sure you use the full two minutes. Some electric toothbrushes even have built in timers that will alert you after two minutes is up.

Using a Hard-Bristled Toothbrush: Using a brush with hard bristles can end up irritating your gums and scraping at the enamel of your tooth. Using a hard-bristled toothbrush over a long period of time can end up causing your gums to recede. This can cause the root of the tooth to become exposed and susceptible to decay. Make sure to use a soft-bristled toothbrush and gentle strokes to efficiently remove plaque without harming your teeth.

Immediately Brushing After Eating/Drinking: Eating or drinking something acidic will weaken the enamel after consumption. It’s important not to brush or floss while your enamel is in a weakened state. Wait at least 30 minutes to brush in order to allow the enamel to harden back up.

Not Drinking Enough Water: Having a dry mouth can have an impact on your oral health. Drinking a sufficient amount of water is important for maintaining great oral health. Staying hydrated helps wash away bacteria in your mouth and can also help with saliva production. Saliva is another important aspect to oral health because it helps neutralize acids in the mouth.

Forgetting to Brush Your Tongue: Your tongue covers a large area and can accumulate quite a bit of plaque and bacteria. Make sure to include your tongue during your daily oral hygiene routine to limit bacteria accumulation.

Contact Dr. Albers In Santa Rosa

Making your oral hygiene routine a priority is the best way to avoid oral health problems like tooth decay and tooth loss later in life. If you’re currently dealing with tooth loss, we recommend pursuing dental implant treatment as soon as possible.

Dental implants can give patients a natural-looking smile that feels as secure as their natural teeth. To start you dental implant process, contact our office in Santa Rosa today! You can be one step closer to a complete smile after calling to schedule your no-obligation consultation with Dr. Albers.